Sunday, August 29, 2010

Third generation agricultural engineer, Lyle Jaworski and the Jaworski family have decided to take on a new challenge this fall at their South Eastern MI farm. The Jaworskis have dedicated their summer to building the world's largest corn maze. In doing so, they also hope to help raise money for charity and break some other world records along the way. The world record corn maze located in historic Dundee MI, just off Highway US 23 at exit 17 is officially called Farmer J's Cornmaze and is a labor of love for the Jaworski family. "This is our tenth year in the corn maze business" says Lyle Jaworski, who also runs the full time farm, and manages the Sexy Pheasant Farm & hunting preserve that raises pheasants. Lyle gets particularly excited about the corn maze itself however; "You get to experience something that not many people can do. Also you get to test how aware you are of your surroundings along with your navigation skills as you work through the maze"

While Dundee is more typically famous as the home of the gigantic sporting goods store some say is visible from space, Farmer J's corn maze will be breaking its own records when it opens this fall and promises to put a new feather in the Dundee, MI cap. This year's Farmer J's maze is a record breaking corn maze indeed as it is both the World's Biggest Corn Maze as well as having the World's Longest Corn Maze Path. Working from an American theme, the world record corn maze has checkpoints throughout where visitors seek and can "check off" as an accomplishment inside the maze. The maze has a total of 24 such checkpoints, the goal for some is to reach all 24 while still able to get out of the maze. That goal can be particularly difficult inside any corn maze, let alone a world record corn maze. As visitors wander through various passages of the maze, they travel through the words "we the people" and the faces of historical figures from America's past. "People who experience the world record corn maze get to learn what it's like to actually have to navigate through something that doesn't have roads or people to tell them where to go. They actually have to use their minds to get out" adds Lyle.

On September 18th of 2010, the Farmer Js world record corn maze will attempt to break a 3rd world record related to the maze. Farmer J's has invited anyone and everyone to come to the maze and help break the world's record for the Longest Torch (flash light) Lit Parade. Anyone can attend this event and be a part of history. The event starts at 6pm on September 18th and visitors should bring their own flashlight.

Finally, as if three records aren't enough, Farmer J's wants to break a charity record too. Visitors to the World Record Corn Maze can support their own favorite charity while working through the maze. Farmer J's website (see below) has a downloadable sponsor form. Visitors can sign up sponsors based on the number of checkpoints they are able to reach. Sponsor can promise a certain donation per checkpoint, and with 24 checkpoints in total, individuals as well as any type of group can raise funds to help out others in need. All Farmer J's asks is that the visitors report back to them how much was raised so they can keep a running total in their hopes to raise millions of dollars for local and national charities.

Hoping to break four separate Guinness World Records this year at Farmer J's and enjoying themselves while doing it, the Jaworski family have turned a labor of love into a benefit to the community as well. The maze opens this September, in Dundee MI, just off highway US-23 at exit 17. For more information about this record breaking attempt visit http://www.worldrecordcornmaze.org

Cool Maze by Yonatan Frimer This maze took over 20 hours to draw. To solve, make your way from the monkey to the crystal. Maze should take about 2-5 minutes to solve. Less if your are fast, more if you are slow at solving mazes.

Shares plunged on Wall Street and the dollar fell sharply tonight after an increase in jobless claims and weak signals from industry prompted fears that the US is heading for a double-dip recession.

The Dow Jones index fell 200 points at one stage in morning trading in New York after the US labour department reported that 500,000 new claims for unemployment benefit were filed in the week ending 14 August – an increase of 12,000 on the previous week and the highest figure for nine months.

The already gloomy mood was compounded when the Philadelphia Fed, one of the Federal Reserve's 12 regional reserve banks, published its monthly health check on manufacturing in America's mid-Atlantic region. The survey, seen by Wall Street as a barometer of US industrial conditions, showed activity had contracted unexpectedly for the first time since July 2009.

President Barack Obama called on Congress to pass a bill providing support for small businesses, but Wall Street believes the threat to the world's biggest economy will also require action by the Federal Reserve to expand the money supply through its quantitative easing programme. James Bullard, president of the St Louis Fed, said tonight that the central bank would need to step up its purchases of bonds should the threat of deflation intensify.